Share this:

Like this:

Students from across Butler County came to the Butler County Community College fire science building today. They are part of a School to Career program, a program that gives students a snapshot of the fire service, law enforcement, emergency management, and dispatch.

Captain Max Brown, Lt. Jack Zimmerman, and Firefighters Quentin Sage, Curtis Pollard, and Sam Aitchison provided the instruction. Other than a small introduction the major part of the morning was spent doing hands on activities.

Students handled water lines, raised ladders, and performed self-contained air pack escape drills. The group was enthusiastic and did a great job. And so did the firefighters.

Share this:

Like this:

I don’t know the number of long distant ambulance transfers I have taken in my life – let’s just say the number is high. I’ve learned a lot about life during these trips.

One a few years back was from Stafford Hospital to Great Bend Regional.

The patient was a retired firefighter named Joe Reboul. During the trip, Joe and I talked about his life experience – mostly about his career.

Joe was in the Navy and served during the Korean War. I asked him if he liked that time and his comment was, “Oh Yea!”

The next stop in Joe’s career was the fire service. I asked Joe what advice he would give a young person wanting a career in the fire service. His reply – “Don’t do it!” But, he was just kidding.

Joe said, “It takes a pretty special person to be a firefighter and it aint’ for everybody.” Joe said that he would do it all again if given the chance.

The first fire truck Joe rode in was an Old Red Seagraves – an open cab model. As a matter of fact, when Joe came on the fire department, all the fire trucks were open cab style.

The most memorable incident Joe could recall was a house fire in Arlington back in the 60’s. Two children perished in the basement of that house.

Then there were the two babies he helped deliver. The first was delivered in the front yard. Unfortunately, this was a house fire and the mother had been rescued, but succumbed to the fire. Luckily, the baby survived.

The second baby was born in the back seat of a car. Both mother and baby made it through that “outside the hospital childbirth experience” in flying colors.

During that trip to Great Bend, Joe gave me a “Lollipop Moment.”

Let me explain.

One day I watched a short presentation by a man named Drew Dudley. Drew’s message was that, “Every day, unbeknownst to us, we impact somebody in a wonderful way.”

He called it “Everyday Leadership” and he gave the moment that this happens a name – “A Lollipop Moment.”

Joe passed away several days after the transfer, but before he left, he gave many of us “A Lollipop Moment” – many more than he would ever know. I was the recipient of one.